'.'
Spo�
• Sport has power
to turn· young
•
lives around
66
I
Wednesday November 9 20161 THE TIMES
2GM
II
K
M
C
Matthew Syed
•
•
•
•
Sports Journalist of the Year
K
elly (let us call her) suffered abuse
at home. She seemed distracted at
school. Kept losing her
concentration. Turned up late. Had
behavioural problems. The
dangerous, downward spiral that so often
emerges from hardships invisible to state
institutions was in overdrive.
Today, Kelly is confident, courteous and
dynamic. I have met her often, and am
constantly surprised by the change she has
undergone. It would be wrong to say that the
emotional damage has been fully resolved, but
all who know her, including her former
teachers, regard her as a shining role model.
She aced an entire series of vocational
qualifications and is blossoming.
What happened to transform her life
chances? Sport. Well, not sport, exactly, but an
organisation that uses sport to alter the
trajectory of the lives of young people. For
Greenhouse, sport is not a panacea. It doesn' t
have inherent moral value. With bad coaches,
children learn bad habits. With bad coaches,
children are encouraged to cheat, to take
shortcuts, to take drugs, to win at all costs.
With good coaches, however, sport can be a
tool of multi-faceted significance. As Nelson
Mandela said: "Sport has the power to change
the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the
power to unite people in a way that little else
does:' Children arrive at sports clubs with their
minds open, their enthusiasm engaged. A great
coach can channel this towards building the
aspirations that are so often missing,
particularly among the white working class;
creating a mindset that is about respecting
rules rather than breaking them; a mindset
about respecting an opponent rather than
resenting them.
A mindset, above all, that challenges young
people to think about success in a new way; as
something all people can achieve if they are
prepared to work hard enough, to go the extra
mile, to explore the full range of their potential.
This lesson isn' t just about sport; it is about
one's education, one's relationships, one's life.
Greenhouse wants to develop young people
who are resilient, curious and capable of
responding to the toughest challenges.
Psychologists call it "growth mindset".
The results have been remarkable. From tiny
beginnings, the charity has grown into one of
the most dynamic organisations in the UK. It
now has 52 full-time coaches working in
schools across London, each tasked with
mentoring youngsters in socially deprived
communities. The only limiting factor (other
than funds, which is a constant challenge) is
finding coaches with the sports-specific
expertise ·as well as the mentoring skills that
can trigger lasting change.
At this point, let me declare an interest as a
trustee of Greenhouse, and someone who has
been there since the earliest days. Table tennis,
a sport well suited to inner-city schools with
little outside space (you can accommodate lots
of tables in a relatively small hall or gym,
engaging lots of young people), is the mainstay
of the charity, alongside football, swimming,
basketball (the programme at Norwood School
in south London is phenomenal), tennis,
volleyball and judo.
25,000 goals but Le Tissier's still the best
•
•
Z
Iatan Ibrahimovic scored
the 25,000th goal in the
Premier League at the
weekend, which reminds us
just how long this "upstart"
league has been entertaining
us. It also invites a discussion
of which goal was best
There are many candidates,
G)
I:
G)
I:
+
A
ndy Murray, I am sure
most of us can agree, is
a living testament to a
positive work ethic, and his
rise to No l in the world rates
among his most formidable
achievements.
But I was struck by the
reaction of h� rivals. Roger
Federer tweeted: "We have a
new king in town. Congrats
Sir @andy_murray." Rafael
Nadal tweeted: "Congrats to
my friend @andy _murray on
becoming World Number
One!"
Cynics will doubtless say
that these messages were
This September, Greenhouse will open a new
table-tennis club in the heart of the capital to
encourage community sport, and as a hub for
all the aspiring players on its various
programmes. The magnificent Christ Church in
Marylebone has recently been purchased on a
long lease, and is now in the process of being
converted into a state-of-the-art sports and
social facility courtesy of a generous cheque
from a donor.
In a rapidly changing world, with technology
altering possibilities every week, with Brexit
about to bite and a new presidency in the
United States, it is imperative for Britain to
have a generation of young people who are
resilient, ambitious and adaptable. Young
people who can face up to the difficulties that
are part of life and learning, rather than being
fazed by them. In the hands of a great coach,
sport provides these lessons. It builds character,
as it has for Kelly and thousands like her.
The Ancient Greeks understood this only too
well. The instigators of mankind's first great
intellectual revolution put the gymnasiums at
the centre of education, aware that a healthy
\'
I
Cheltenham (0) 1 Bolton
(0) 0
Morgan-Smith 90
1,038
Everton U23 (0) 1 Blackpool
(0) 1
Gnanduillet 48
Charsley 79
Blackpool won 5-4 on pens
Crewe
929
written for PR reasons, but my
sense is that they were
sincere. Despite the fierce
(and fascinating) rivalry at the
top of tennis, there is a
backdrop of mutual respect. In
many ways, this juxtaposition
encapsulates the meaning of
sport.
body and heathy mind are part and parcel of
the good life.
Readers of The Times were pivotal in the
early days of Greenhouse. After an article on
these pages in 2002 about the lack of sports
opportunities in the inner cities - a brilliant
12-year-old called Darius Knight was training
in a friend's cramped garden shed - several
readers sent in cheques. This helped to start
the table-tennis programme, a catalyst, in
many ways, for what Greenhouse has become,
and a powerful message of the difference we
can all make. Knight, incidentally, went on to
become Youth Olympic Champion, a senior
international, 'and now, aged 26, has his own
business.
It is easy to write about bad news when it
comes to sport There is plenty around. But I
trust you will forgive a good news story about
an organisation that is not resting on its laurels.
Great sports teams are built upon a culture of
continuous improvement Greenhouse is
determined to find new ways to encourage the
brilliant, inspirational young people who exist
at the bottom of the pile.
Fixtures
Checkatrade Trophy
Northern section: Group A
Group B
"'
while watching on YouTube all
these years later. What a
tragedy that his vision and
flair (not to mention his
penalty-taking prowess) were
not harnessed by England
managers. My sense is that he
would have added much to a
team that lacked verve.
Respect must be part of healthy rivalry
Results
Football
"'
but I would like to _flag up the
goal by Matt Le Tissier
against Newcastle United, this
enigmatic player juggling the
ball, one way and the other,
teasing his opponents, a
geometrical masterpiece of
such control and imagination
that you can't help smiling
\
l
Federer, a former world No 1, was quick to congratulate Murray when he achieved that ranking
(0) 0
Wolves U23 (3) 4
Herc 18
Wilson 37
Ronan 45 (pen)
Enobakhare 67
Chesterfield (1) 2
O'Shea 23
Dimaio 81 (pen)
Accrington S (0) 0
547
Group C
Stoke U23, (0) 1
Bojan 86
Stoke won 4·3 on pens
Bury
Miller68
(0) 1
Blackburn U23(1) 2 Oldham
(0) 2
Stokes 22, Feeney 61 Ladapo 49, Wilson 67
Oldham won 5·4 on pens
Derby U23
Hanson 24
Weimann 84
Doncaster
1,495
GroupG
Cambridge
666
(2) 3
Mansfield
Hemmings 2
Henderson 5
Clements 90
(0) 0 Port Vale
(0) 0
Port Vale won 4-3 on pens
(1) 2
(0) 0
Group H
Leicester U23 (0) 0
Group D
Group E
Middlesbro U23(0) O
308
Scunthorpe (1) 2
Williams 36, Adelakun 90
Shrewsbury (2) 3
Leitch-Smith 10, 59
Toney 14
Walsall
Bakayoko 58
(0) 1
Chelsea U23 (1) 1 Oxford Utd (0) 1
Quintero 44
Hemmings 90
5,200
Chelsea won 13·12 on pens
Norwich U23 (2) 4
Morris 11
Oliveira 38 (pen), 63
Adams 87
Group D
GroupG
Southern section: Group A
Northampton (1) 1 West Ham U23(1) 1
Beautyman 23
Parfitt-Williams 39
West Ham U23 won 3-2 on pens
Group B
Group E
Portsmouth
Naismith 88
(0) 1
Bristol Rovers (0) 0
1,200
Newport Co (1) 2 AFC Wimbledon(O) 0
Bennett 7, Barnum-Bobb 85
Swansea U23 (2) 2 Plymouth
(0) 0
James 13, McBurnie 20
Group C
Exeter
(0) 1 Swindon
Wheeler 59
Norris 30
Swindon won 4-2 on pens
(1) 1
· Colchester
(1) 1 Charlton
Ajose 32
Bonne 42
548
Colchester won 4· 3 on pens
Group F
Barnet
Amaluzor 68
393
(0) 1
Peterboro
Taylor 6
Moncur 84
(1) 1
(1) 2
Brighton U23 (1) 1
Towell 16
Stevenage (2) 4
Schumacher 8
Godden 18, Liburg 60, 90
Group H
Luton
CO) 1
Hutchinson 58 (og)
2,251
West Brom U23(0) 0
MK Dons
Tapp 84
1,042
(0) 1
Leyton Orient (0) 0
Southend
559
(0) 0
Millwall
(0) 3
Gillingham
(1) 2
Onyedinma 72
Smith 81, 87
Oldaker 45
Emmanuel-Thomas 55
Football
Kick-off 7.45 unless stated
Checkatrade Trophy: Group stage: Hartlepool
v Rochdale (7.30); Reading U21 v Yeovil
(7.30); Sunderland U21 v Notts County (7.30);
Carlisle v Fleetwood; Morecambe v Bradford;
Grimsby v Sheffield United; Southampton U21
v Crawley; Wycombe v Coventry.
Press & Journal Highland League: Wick
Academy v Buckie Thistle (8.0).
Women's Champions League: Round ofl6, first
leg: Manchester City v Brondby (8.0).
Snooker
Ricoh Arena, Coventry: Dafabet Champion of
Champions.